1984’s How-to-Send Email Video Is Confusingly Ancient

Sending an email today is part of the culture. You can do it on a computer, a tablet, a phone, a watch. But you know what? It wasn't always so easy.

Tech geeks everywhere will laugh the pocket protectors right out of their shirts in this video, taken from a 1984 British TV show called Database, in which viewers learn how to send email. Of course, back in 1984, "email" seemed about as foreign a concept to the average person as DVRs, O.J. being tried for murder and being able to pause your DVR while you watch a cable miniseries all about O.J being tried for murder.

You don't have to be a wizard with computers to know this is wildly primitive by today's standards. From the modem that looks like the world's first cable box to the rotary telephone, this clip reminds us how far we've come.

Micronet? Prestel? We're as confused as your grandfather when you tried to explain the concept of downloading.